. >> well, i would like to thank alison ownings, and if you have a opportunity to read the book, it's true history, and i thank you for being our guest today. >> do you have time for one more question? >> afterwards. >> thank thank you for attending today's discussion and contributing to the dedication of literacy. a book signing will take place, and we ask you exit the room at this time unless you have a ticket for the next program. [applause] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] >> alison ownings on her book, "indian voices, and we'll be back shortly with more at the chicago tribune american lit fest after this. >> we're at the national press club book and author night talking about dissint gracious. can you tell me how you came to form four groups? >> it just seemed to work out that way. you know, four seemed like an arbitrary number. it just seemed to be the way it worked out. it was clear there was a, you know, one group was a mainstream, a middle class black america. it was clear that one group was the abandoned, nonmiddle class black ame

alison kosik has reaction. >> wall street held its own against new worries about the greek debt crisisonday. european finance ministers plans to wait until july to take action on greece is not sitting well with investors. the eu's pledge to prevent an ultimate default kept them from fearing the worst. u.s. stocks managed modest gains. the dow ended at 12,080, the s&p gained half a percent. caterpilar reported a 52% jump of sales in march, april and may compared with the same period a year ago. u.s. construction activity remains sluggish but demand for the replacement of older machinery helped sales. the company got a big boost from overseas with sales up 60% in latin america and 65% in europe, africa and the mideast. a big win for walmart at the u.s. supreme court today when justices ruled a massive class action lawsuit could not move forward. this is a landmark job discrimination case that would have included 1 million current and former female walmart employees. the supreme court essentially said monday 1 million plaintiffs is too many. the focus shifts to the housing market tuesday

own expense. hear his jokes next. >>> first, fewer people can afford to pay their mortgages, but they still have money to buy a round of drink. alisonls in this week's "getting down to business." >> reporter: of the 4 million home owns severely behind on their mortgage, almost two-thirds have essentially become squatters in their own homes. according to lending agency l.p.s., it takes an average of 565 days to foreclose on a home after owners begin missing payments. people failing to pay their mortgages in new york and florida are staying even longer. these days usually take about 800 daes to foreclose. the recession was tough on many industries but it didn't david archuletaen american's spirits at least in terms of alcohol sales. according to the finance company sage works, alcohol works were not only strong through krout you the re's, they actually grew each year with 2010 showing a 9% increase. it looks like dad may be getting a nicer tie this father's day. a survey by the national retail federation shows americans will spend about $10 more this year than last, averaging $106 for dad's present. but never fear mom's out there. you

own gym, home theater, spa and bar. >> reporter: a high-profile lifestyle for a man facing high stakes charges. >> so, alison, i guess the question now is who's paying for all that luxury, the townhouse and the security? taxpayers? >> reporter: dominique strauss-kahn, he is paying for -- we're standing right in front of the townhouse where he's under house around. we're hears he's paying anywhere from $50,000 to $60,000 to rent the place. he's paying his own security. that's going for about $250,000 a month not to mention what his legal fees must be at this point, martin. >> well, he has the money. what are his neighbors saying? what's being said on the street there? >> reporter: you know what's interesting that you mention that, "the new york post" also caught a photo of actress kirstie alley. she apparently staying next door at the time the photo was taken. she did speak to "the new york post" saying he's innocent until proven guilty. she was actually kind of caught talking about this. also we're hearing some of his neighbors are actually keeping tabs on him. they're telling us through actually the new yorker that

alison. next, the casey anthony trial. jurors getting an earful of jailhouse phone conversations between a woman accused of killing her ownr family. >> do you think after this long she would still be local? >> there's a possibility. >> what's your gut telling you right now? >> that she's okay. >> okay. >> and your gut tells you that she's close or she's hiding? >> she's not far. i know in my heart she's not far. i can feel it. >> we're talking to someone who is inside the courtroom when those tapes were played. what was casey's reaction, how about the jurors, plus we're asking are casey's attorneys planning to have her plead insanity? gical fruit, which provided for their every financial need. [ thunder rumbling ] [ thunder crashing ] and then, in one blinding blink of an eye, their tree had given its last. but with their raymond james financial advisor, they had prepared for even the unthinkable. ♪ and they danced. see what a raymond james advisor can do for you. [ male announcer ] the inspiration for its shape was an archer drawing his bow. ♪ could that have also inspired its 556 horsepower supercharged engine? ♪ the al

alison. >>> next, the casey anthony trial. jurors getting an earful of jailhouse phone conversations between the woman accused of killing her ownd her family. >> but do you think after this long she'd still be local? >> there's a possibility. >> what's your gut telling you right now? >> my gut is telling me that she's okay. >> okay. and your gut tells you that she's close or she's hiding? >> she's not far. i know in my heart she's not far. i can feel it. >> we're talking to someone who was inside the courtroom when those tapes were played. what was casey's reaction? how about the jurors? plus we're asking are casey's attorneys planning to have her plead insanity? ordinary windshield wipers off the glass. so, did we build a slower car? or design wipers that could handle anything? what do you think? the cadillac cts-v, the world's fastest production sedan. we don't just make luxury cars, we make cadillacs [ female announcer ] wake up to sweetness with honey nut cheerios cereal. kissed with real honey. and the 100% natural ole grain oats can help lower your cholesterol. you are so sweet to me. bee happy. bee healthy. >>> one of th

own savings. and a good look to look is cnn.com/retirement. >>> great advice, alison. but people need a helping hands these days. thank you. >> exactly. >>> now your responses to today's talk back question. carol costello is here. >> you're wearing red, and you are wearing blue. >> patriotic. tell us what you are talking about? >> this is from tim. patriotism is so subjective. isn't it patriotic to vest in our nation's infrastructure. isn't it patriotic to regard the u.s. as one nation rather than a confederation of sovereign states? this is from tracy. wearing a flag does not prove you are patriotic. what have you done to benefit your fellow americans? were you there when there were disasters? did you help or talk about getting help? talk is cheap, just like the american flag pin. and then this from jack. don't make that the focus. and this from george. show me intelligence and a willingness to do some good. later for all that fake patriotism and religion. keep the comments coming. i'll see you again in ten minutes. >>> rick perry rallies the republicans in new york.

alison kosik, this will affect all of us because there is a ripple effect. how does this happen? what can we see about our own retirement funds if you take a look at these demonstrations in greece? what's the connection? >> reporter: well, the demonstrations themselves not having an impact on the market today but you talk about what's happening in greece financially and it's really the big fear of the unknown that's the concern, that could wind up driving down stocks throughout europe and here at home. the very same stocks that i'm talking about that are in the funds that make up all of our retirement portfolios. one analyst says the biggest threat to the global economy in terms of what's happening in greece is psychological because when you think about it, the greek economy isn't huge, but it's connected to a lot. it's like six degrees of separation. if greece defaults on its debt, it could disrupt the european banking system and cause investors to pull their money out of the markets. a big problem here is that we really don't know how big the ripple effect will be until it happens, so it's that uncertainty